Nines Lives Awaiting
by Myu-ussia
Summary: "Hello, I'm Baron Humbert Von Gikkingen and you must be Jessica?" He said as he tipped his white top hat at me, his clothes similar to that of a wealthy gentleman in the Victorian times maybe a little after that period. Swapping time and places somewhat with Haru, Jess needed answers could he give it? This man in cat skin?, BaronXOC
1. Prologue

Nine Lives Awaiting

Hey Guys, Just wanted to tell you this more an insight of my OC and I wanted to try something new for The cat return fandom, my first of their many movies and it as stuck with me since. I'm sorry if it not to your liking. Just wanted a change from only seeing Haru and Baron even if I almost read every fanfic on them, I love the pairing merely want a change, okay?- Myu

_This OC was inspired by my old dog Jess, who been dead for a couple of years now._

I do not own The Cat Return/Repayment ect. Only My OCS.

Rated T for swearing and maybe if violence happens in the future chapters.

_"__If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?"  
_― Albert Einstein

Prologue

Our story starts in an old irregular kitchen, were there was a moulting light brown table and chairs sat next to the plain white damp walls. A black, mud printed counter, that held only an old greasy microwave beside a blood red kettle. Above that hangs a lonely smashed and shatter picture, four people had their arms around the other shoulder while the faces could not be seen through the cracks as if the owner did not want to remember the memories hidden in the picture. On the floor were old and newspapers scatter across the floors as if the person had been jumping from one place to another and never pick up the forgotten muddy papers. This person life was a mess.

Soft, small pure white feet pattered against the cold damp kitchen floor before screeching for his owner to feed him. A bang and shuffles could be heard from afar before a woman stumbled into the kitchen clutching her head, sighing she grabbed a box of cat food and filled his bowl on the floor before putting the box way in a hurry. The cat buried his head into it meal, a frown seen on his lips as he watch his owner run away from the kitchen as if it held a truth that the one did not want to face ever again.

That woman was, well _me_. The woman with a life that she had no control of, running to one place and back and trying to not enter the kitchen for the truth hurt too much and I have yet to get past it. The small orange kitten was all the company I have and will ever have or so I thought. From one mess, I find myself stumbling into another. And I knew god had it in for me since I was only thirteen, where everything turned upside down.

Slowly my feet twitched back to the broken image in the kitchen and slowly I walked up to it, my eyes watered as my fingers lingered on the sharp, cold empty object. It was tangible but not what had been taken in images years before. I was _alone. _Ever so _alone. _ And I wish for human contact from someone but no one was around and I never had the time. My pale pink lips sighed tiredly, as tears slipped from my eyes as I stared at the only family I had. And they're gone.

From a young age, I was put into adoption because my mother died given birth to me and no one knew my father. My mother didn't have any relative and if she did they didn't want to know. And so I was brought up alone in a home until I came across my _family. _ We had so many laughs, so many memories. And...

And a car accident took them away from me.

And here I stare at the only proof they're ever existed in this world. The last picture, the last memory. And we we're so close to peace, too close and God broken it. He ripped it into shreds. He left me behind in pain. My lips yelped the words I couldn't say for years _"__Goodbye."_

The wind wisped and sang gentle, my cat sat in silent looking up at me in curiosity as the tears fell to the ground in drops. No one would hug me, comfort me for I am too broken until they brought light into my world, they're remained me of friendship, and I wasn't the only one feeling lonely, different or left behind. We all cried in our lives but for the first time I was alone with no one to hug me even if there no affection behind it. I was so, ever so, so damn _lonely. _

Word Count: 632


	2. Chapter 1: A change of Realities

Chapter 1: A change of realities

I do not own The cat returns/repayment ect. Only my OCS and plot.

_"__It makes you wonder. All the brilliant things we might have done with our lives if only we suspected we knew how."  
__― __Ann Patchett__, __Bel Canto_

I awoke to myself with my face stuffed in papers and a kitten on my back fast asleep. I groaned and shook letting him to jump off my back as I stretched from the ruff and old red couch as my feet landed on grass like mat. Muttering nonsense under my breath, I stumble onto my feet as I pull away the paper from my cheek and thrown it with the rest of the lot on floor that trailed into the only two rooms.

Getting to the kitchen was like trying to get on top of mountain on the heaviest day of rain. Sloppy and trip-able and sadly, waiting for a moment to fall flat on my face into it was what I never asked for in my mornings. _I should really clean up_ I thought as I ice skated into the kitchen and making myself some waking and warm tea.

_"__A tea a day! Tea a day!" Cried a girl with blonde pigtails and huge ruby glimmered smile, "That what my mother used to tell me." _

I sighed as the kettle boiled and wheezes and clicks, my hand gripped the handle in an almost over used action. Spilling the hot water in the cup, my eyes watched the fat puff ball of orange lapping up his bowl of water. Putting the kettle back and spun the spoon in the cup that all the ingredients needed before, and then with a flick I let the tea bag drop into the sink.

_"__What did I tell you, huh Jess? Stop wasting your tea bags!" A man shouted as his arm was wrapped around a woman with blonde hair from the living room hearing the splashes of the bags from afar. _

_"__I know Elliot! God shouldn't you be moaning at your girlfriend instead of me?"__I replied as I arrived through the door with a tray full of multiple cups. The two blushed heavily like the cute couple they were. I giggled, "No need to be shy."_

_"__We're not shy!" He yelled as I rolled my eyes at him, before setting the tray on the table and sat beside the blonde who giggled as well. _

_"__Jess, you know, why haven't you, umm, you know?" the little girl with pigtails grown up as a shy woman, Now she blushed as her lips stuttered over her words, unlike the rowdy girl I used to know. _

_I sighed as I stopped myself from reaching my tea like the two. "You know me, no one works. I, I can't connected with anyone like I used to when I was young, and then no one could connected with me then." _

_They both groaned annoyed with my reply, their eyes flashed sadness, before they whispered "We won't be here forever." _

I awoke from the daydream from the feel of the cats painful claws in my legs, I smiled softly. "Thanks Pal." I whispered to him as he looked up at me and let go before looking at his empty bowl of food, I let a dry chuckle leave my lips. "Alright, alright, I'll get your breakfast then!" I told him cheerfully and reached the box of cat food and letting the last lot into his bowl which he went to eat right the moment the first piece tapped into his bowl.

Putting the box away, I remember hearing a whisper echo from the walls for a spilt of a second. I shook my head, _no one here, no one around, just me and my cat. _ I shrugged my shoulders as my cat mewed at me in wonder. "Nothing puff ball," I muttered "Just hearing things again."

A orange umbrella face stared up at me with his bright green forest eyes as if to say _you know that not true. _I just chuckled in reply and pondered away with my steaming cup in hand, it was all in my head and that was that.

_Tap. _ A cup toppled over and _smashed_ into the ground, letting me squeak in surprise. I gripped my heart out of fear before groaning in annoyance as I let it be heard "Hatfield if you-"

_Bang. _My eyes widen as the paper started flying around me, fluttering and flittering in a circle like plain white squared butterflies dancing around a lonely rose. I was trapped in that of my own findings and work. People I had saved and helped over the years bounced around me in blurry black and white images and words. Too fast to neither see nor read, but yet I could recognise each one with their own special story.

However, the strangest of things was a blank figure that sat in the corner of each image, almost glowing out as it was the only things that stay the same in the images. _Who was it?_

_Crash. _ The lights flickered, the curtains flew above the windows as a hurdling wind blinded of what was happening outside. I felt as if I was being flown into Oz itself. Yet that was a silly and stupid thing to think simple because it wasn't real, nothing that was fiction ever happen and wouldn't now. Right?

_Boom. _The tea toppled from my fingers as it sprinkled into dust, the papers turned blank as they stopped and the room disappeared into a never ending white. A whiteness of white, that only can called white, a truly pure white that even closing my eyes couldn't stop it from leaking through.

Then darkness soon took over leaving that a small mew as my cat try to reach out at me in vain. Failing miserably as his howling was the last thing to reach my ears before the world vanished before me.

_Haru? __Haru, wake up! It lunch time, Hey? Are you listening to me?_

Smack. "Ow." I groaned as I rubbed the back of my head, my eyes blinking at the bright and warm sun light echoing through the window. I looked at the girl beside me in confusion, she seems familiar yet the same time she looked wrong as if she wasn't 3D.

Wait a minute, she look like an animated person. She chuckled as if she knew my own thought process however most likely at a funny face I was making in my muddled thoughts.

_This doesn't make sense._

"Haru, you're cracking me up." She giggled, a big smile plastered upon her lips. _Hiromi. _

"Ah, sorry, got lost in my thoughts is all." I replied, smiling nervously back. _Just go along with it, it only a dream. _

Her light brown hair bounced as she laughed while her fingers dropped a bento box onto the desk as she turned her chair towards me. "Isn't you always? What did you dream about this time? Machida maybe?" He caramel, hazel eyes sparkled as she teased me of some unknown person.

Yet my cheeks blushed red in recognition of the name I've barely heard before. "I wish." I replied jokingly, "But no. It was just weird."

The chatter continues like that as we slowly eat our lunch. It was refreshing to be in someone company that didn't need your help with something and once that story over it doesn't continue. They act like you barely met after that. A shadow of the past, a mare memory in their doubting moments.

However before this girl, I was alive and breathing, she thought something good of me. Or Haru, the girl who I now lived as in this odd dream. Was this a way for my mind reminding me off what I wished for? What I had and what I didn't?

This girl lived in a world that I never could grasp. Never have and here I'm_living_ it, breathing it._But_ still it didn't feel right, this isn't me. This isn't the place I grew up, these the people I never heard of with their odd sounding names. The fake crush that myself didn't have however the body of Haru knew. I was living in a lie of someone else easy and normal life that didn't fit the crazy one of my own.

_What was my mind telling me?_

"Haru?" Hiromi asked, her voice wavering in worry. "Are you okay?"

I smiled softly, "Yeah, just got a lot on my mind is all."

"And what would that be?" she asked as we walked along the pathway.

"Just how lucky we are." I told her, her eyebrows raised up as she looked at me questioningly.

"You know Haru, you've been acting weird all day!" she exclaimed as she nudged my shoulder slightly. "What happen? Is your mother okay? Did-"

"Nothing happen." I interrupted her from continuing her train of thoughts. "Just that dream I had today just made me feel grateful of the life I have."

"What was that dream about?" the other girl curiosity building as she looked at me.

"So much, yet so little." I told her before we split paths promising to tell her more of this dream tomorrow.

_I am going to meet Haru mother. What are mothers like?_

Fingers scraped the rough, red brick walls that held the gate in place, gripping the metal and pushing outwards in the front lawn. Hands started to sweat madly, fingers trembled as I looked at the humble little home for just a mother and daughter, I was sacred for I never entered into place with someone inside waiting for me for such a long time. Hatfield came everywhere with me and it was odd without my little companion.

Slowly, carefully I reached for the door handle. Fingers touch the cool metal before fully gripping it. _Don't be sacred, it be a nice dream it won't turn just yet. _The door creaked open as I walked in before shutting it behind me. "I'm home!" I called however instead got an echo back instead.

Slipping my shoe of and plopping my bag down, I turned to investigate the other rooms to find them empty until I found a small, neat note hanging from the fridge door.

_Haru dear,_

_Just to remind you that I have a crochet convention for this week and won't be back until the next Saturday. The food in the usual place, please look after yourself. Call me every two days at least. _

_Love you. _

I sighed, I got panicky over nothing. Oh well. Notting the number underneath the neatly written _love you_, I couldn't help smile at the small note. _This is a nice dream, I wish I had more dreams like this._ I pondered as I walked up the stairs.

However the dream never ended, it just keep going, going and _going_. Days passed and I couldn't wake up from this blissful dream, a dream that felt so wrong. _I don't deserve this life_ I had muttered under my breath every time I awoke in the soft bed with the ringing of smoothing alarm reminding I'm not at home yet.

I soon met Miss Yoshioka, who was a busy and caring mother. It felt weird to be around so many people who cared I existed, yet guilt soon settled in as I soon came to realised that this was no dream as I had been hurt by my usually clumsiness that both myself and Haru shared. Pain means reality, especially when it doesn't wake you up.

This meant either I took Haru place for a reason or we just swapped places, which in hope we hadn't as my life wasn't meant for a teenager. Especially her kind, the kind who live this luxury that I only could dream off. _Through her journal is odd. _ _Filled with tales of a cat kingdom and how she can understand cats, which did help to explain that one time. _

Then there the story of some 'cool' cat like figure that help her out some mess with the cat kingdom. I wondered if he could help with this unique situation of mine, then again could any of this fairytale be true even if most of the journal talks of her basic boring days. It doesn't make sense, not one bit. This life, these people, nothing. I just want to go home.

_"__Nothing makes sense!" _ _I screamed at the day-care worker as she turned from me, her step echoing in the empty hallways as children huddled away from me. _

_She shrugged, shaking her head "Nothing ever does, Jessica." She murmured back, her fingers telling me to follow and leave the fear-stricken children in their cramp corner. _

_I sighed as I follow the young woman silently. She never hugged, kissed or touched a child even so, she gave us advice or listen us when needed. Mainly myself at that time when my friends got foster off and the children feared me stay away for an unknown reason. I had been begging them to tell me, the words were always stuck in their throats as if they had been warned to tell me of my fate. _

_"__Why won't you tell me?" I ask the lady as we rounded another corner. _

_A small smile tugged at her pearly lips. "Only you can answer that question." Her brown hair wavering as she walked, soft golden honey eyes looked down at me. "For we swapped places, in a way but not exactly."_

Word count: 2,212


	3. Chapter 2: Catching the moon

Chapter 2: Catching the moon

Hey Guys, sorry for the late update, been busy settling into college life (I'm British, so we finish highschool at the age of 16-17 years old then go onto sixth form or college to continue our education.) Getting to know people, make new friends, keep hold of old ones ect. Learning where to go in the college (it like three times bigger than my high school, it so easy to get lost) and early mornings, when I mean early I mean 5:50am. Kill me. So I get the bus just before 7:20. I get at the bus stop like 15 minutes before, but I want dibs on a good seat okay?

Anyway, enough about my boring life. I want to say thanks to Catsafari reviews, it lovely to know that you given this silly fanfic a try. And be truthful I only write to get better, slowly but I'm getting there. I will fully reply to your reviews when I don't have to fight this computer to let me reply to things or get hold of a computer at college. Sorry for not being able too!

And thanks to all you who favourite this and following this, if I had all yours name I'll list them here but I don't. However thank you; I would like to hear from you guys too, I'm not a big fan of silence when it comes to my stories.

I also like if someone would like to be my beta reader, I be ever so grateful. Anyway with the story!- Myu.

_"__I didn't hear the footsteps. Or see the shadow. Instead from where I was crouched on the ground, the green of the grass filling my vision, the first thing I made out were hands, a flat ring on the middle finger of each. One was clutching my notes. The other was reaching out for me." – Sarah Dessen, Just listen. _

The soft reflection of Haru's body stared at me through her mother huge silver framed mirror. Her soft, straight brown hair lay swiftly on her shoulders. Unlike my unruly black curly hair that frizzled, still growing ever so slowly from the accident. Her eyes of a honey hue of brown instead of my own dampened dark brown eyes that just underneath would've held black circles from the never ending nightmares. Nothing but pale smooth skin, not even the scar that ran across my left cheek, a reminder that I was living someone else's life. I was shorter, which was obvious since I was inside a teenager body instead of my twenty-seven year old body.

Yet it was still shocking.

I had been living as Haru for two weeks, nothing said that I was out character beside the first day, as if I was replacing Haru in some way.

_But where was she?_

I groaned as I gripped ends of my hair, tugging in annoyance. _Why couldn't life be less, like this?_ I thought as I pulled my hand away to find curly black fluff of hair. I stared and stared, looking at the impossible. Slowly I reached for hair to find my fingers flying through it as if nothing was there. Just the Illusion of her staring at me.

_This doesn't make sense. _

Mystery, I solved so many however they were more, well reality speaking. This was more the supernatural genre of mystery, the impossible and here I am. This was purely _magic, _what else could this be? If I can understand cats, then this was possible a well.

This was a subject that I did not know a thing about. _But the journal has my answer._

Fingers laced in front of me as I waited for my daily weekend tea from my favourite cafe, which I read about from Haru journal. A place that she met her chubby, white male feline name Muta or his real name Renaldo Moon, he may be my ticket to figuring out what going on. Also, the small chance of getting out of here and returning home, giving back Haru life that rightfully belongs to her.

On the other chair sat a peacefully sleeping, white chubby cat with that of a small brown patch on one side of his head with a few here and there over his body. Meaning this was the cat I was looking for. I hope Haru hadn't dreamt all what happen to her, because it was scary enough doing this in public and also losing a quicker getting around this crazy situation. Who would believe a teenager?

I am better off living this life peacefully then. Yet I felt guilty not knowing what truly happen to Haru, even if we can't swap back but give her some warning of some kind before the events happen. If magic worked then this may be more possible.

Soon the waitress came out with a tray with a cup of tea and a plate with a tuna sandwich for Muta. She put the pay items on the table leaving with 'I hope you enjoy' line before rushing off to do the other orders or chores.

"I never get why you always get me tuna, chicky." Muta grumbled as he munched at the snack.

"Because that what you always ask for, well that what Haru said in her journal" I replied as I sipped at the warm cuppa.

He tilted his head at this. "Did ya bump your head or something?"

"I wish, but no. I merely woke up being Haru, a girl with a luxury life." I told him as I slid my hand through my hair. "I was hoping to see this Baron fellow to talk about this odd phenomenon."

He huffed as he finished his sandwich. "Fine chicky, I just hope you're not tricking me."

"If I was, then it wouldn't me who was." I encountered as we got up.

The race began. Dancing around the people before hopping onto the roofs, over rails onto steps and finally an old fashion brick walkway. Muta ran through a archway that looked too small for myself to fit through, however that was easily fixed as my stomach swirled and the world, well little village, grew around me.

I gripped my head as the world spun before me, I found myself leaning against Muta to walk onwards. "You'll get use to it chicky." He mumbled as he rubbed my back. After a few more moments, I found myself staring at an old British doll like houses, even if now they could be considered as normal house now I was the right height.

Before I could ask Muta what house it was, a huge black bird swooped down and landed before us. A cheeky smirk on his beak as he looked at Muta before turning to me, his smile softened and his eyes grew sad. He brought out his left wing and his right to touch his chest, "Welcome Jessica, the Baron has been waiting for you." He told me, my eyes grew as my name left his lips.

It wasn't the fact it was talking crow talking to me, I was warn of Toto, but the fact he would knew of my existence.

"H-how?" I murmured out, my lips flapping in shock.

"What are you talking about birdbrain? _Is this a prank?_" he growled out as he tries to reach out to the black crow before me.

"At least I have more than a brain then a stomach bigger then my head!"

Before long they were yelling and clawing at each other, I sighed slightly, since they were creations maybe they can sense or smell a difference?

A soft white, gloved hand patted on my shoulder. I turned to who will soon be my answer, a man in cat skin.

"Hello, I'm Baron Humbert Von Gikkingen and you must be Jessica?" He said as he tipped his white top hat at me, his clothes similar to that of a wealthy gentleman in the Victorian times maybe a little after that period.

I nodded, "I came looking for answers, through how do you know my name?"

He smiled softly before tilting his head, "Because we met once before, through you were young then."

I nodded, "I must've been very young."

"Merely a baby in a cradle" He answered, "But I never forget a person scent."

_At least that explains that I'm still in my world and not some alternate one._

My shoulders shook from the freezing air that now bustled into the Bureau. He tilted his orange head towards his home. "We better get you in before you get a cold." He muttered as wrapped his arms around my shoulders and guided me into his home.

Inside was one thing I wasn't expecting to see, "Hatfield!" I cried in joy as I jumped for the kitten sitting on the Barons couch, nothing matter in the room beside the orange, fat kitten.

He cried out as we came lumbering onto the floor as his arms cushioned me, his dark green eyes sparked as he sniffed me, "Jessica." He cheered with his fluffy paws suffocating me into his chest of fur.

He let me go as he looked down at me, "The Baron wasn't kidding, you really taken Haru place."

"Huh?" I replied, "What do you mean by 'taken'?"

"The Baron hasn't told you yet has he?" He questioned to my last resort, his eyes that once filled with happiness changed into worry. I shook my head in return, _no. _"You're not going to like it."

"You might be wrong." I pointed out but he grimaces instead. "It that bad?"

He nodded before sighing, the Baron had slipped across the room, making his own blend of tea. "Yes." Was Hatfield only reply as he guided back to the green couch.

"Milk or honey Jessica?" Came Baron questioned, I couldn't help but smile at his question.

"Whatever you think the best, I love my tea anyway." I answered as I started to relax in the couch. "I thought that I will never see you again Hatfield."

He nodded agreeing, "When you vanished like that, I thought the same."

Yet something didn't make sense, I touched my lip in thought."Then why are you here, though?"

He started to explain his side of the story."When you didn't return in after three days, I went looking for my father who-"

"Which is Muta, isn't it?" I interrupted. He nodded, I laughed at his puffed out cheek. "You got your father eating habits."

"What did you say about my son, chicky?" Muta asked protectively.

"Nothing Muta, just saying how alike you two are."

He hummed at that, "We are lot alike in personality; he got his mother features through."

_Small hands reached out of a bundle of blankets, crying to it mother who abandon the child in a box outside an orphanage in the middle of the busy streets of London. Storm clouds gathered above, people shuffled faster in fear of being caught in the storm. _

_No one cared for the whaling child. "Mama? Mama!" She had crawled out of the box alone and sacred as she tries to look for brunette of a mother, a scribbled note stuck to her stomach. A note of her name_, _the rest washed away from the tears leaving the four year old eyes. _

_She stood there crying until her mouth was raw, tears emptied out and her body quivering in the cold air. She shuffled to her box of blankets, to scared to venture outside the building steps. She sobbed as she wrapped herself up, slowly to pull herself to blissful sleep. _

_The next morning she was found by the brunette care taker, she watched as the child sneezed in her sleep, red cheeks flaring from being left out in the storm. She growled angrily, amazed someone could do this to a young child; she pulled the child out from the blankets staring at the small piece of paper from the child. _

_"__Jessica." She murmured as carried the small, black hair child in. She smiled softly, as she whispered softly. "It lovely to meet you again." _

Words: 1,701


End file.
